Flue cover



March 10, 1936. R L, LOVEN 2,033,435

FLUE COVER Filed May 1, 1955 Patented Mar. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

Part of a house may settle, or a chimney may settle, and the result is that a stove pipe entering the opening in the chimney does not fit properly therein, an unsightly appearance resulting. Moreover, rain water sometimes will carry soot out of the chimney, through the stove pipe opening, and stain or disfigure the wall paper. This invention aims to provide a means whereby such things cannot take place. Another object of the invention is to reduce fire hazard by keeping the wall paper away from the hot stove pipe. Another object of the invention is to supply novel means for mounting a closure cap detachably over the stove pipe hole of a structure accomplishing the objects hereinbefore set forth. Other objects will be made manifest as the description proceeds.

The drawing shows a satisfactory form of the invention, but a mechanic who keeps within the scope of the claims can make changes without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section showing the device forming the subject matter of this application mounted on a chimney or wall;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation wherein the stove pipe is shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation showing the face plate and the slide;

Fig. 5 is a cross section showing the cap in place;

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the cap.

The numeral l marks a wall which may carry a layer 2 of plaster. There is a stove pipe opening 3 in the wall I. The opening 3 may be the bore of a thimble 4 mounted in the wall I. The wall I may be part of a chimney 5. A stove pipe 6 extends into the opening 3.

At I there is shown a metal face plate having a rearwardly extended bounding flange 8. The face plate I has holes 9 that receive securing elements I holding the face plate I on the wall I, with the flange B bound tightly against the plaster 2. The face plate I has an opening II which is larger than the cross section of the stove pipe 6. The opening II in the face plate I is longer than it is Wide. The flange 8 of the face plate I has inwardly extended guides l2. The guides l2 are resilient and tend to press forward toward the plate I.

A slide I4, preferably a metal plate, is mounted to reciprocate behind the face plate I and in front of the guides I2. There is an opening in the slide I4. The opening I5 is shaped to receive the stove pipe 6 closely, but is smaller than the opening II in the face plate I.

It is clear that in the event of settling, the stove pipe 6 and the wall I can have relative movement transversely of the stove pipe in any direction, the slide I4 participating in the aforesaid relative movement, but serving always as a closure for the opening II in the face plate I. Consequently, there is no unsightly gap around the stove pipe, in the event of settling.

Referring to Fig. 1, note that if rain carries soot through the thimble 4, the sooty water is pocketed within the flange 8 of the face plate I and cannot run down on the wall paper.

When the wall paper is applied to the plaster 2, the wall paper can terminate at the flange 8 of the face plate I. It is not necessary to carry the wall paper close to the hot stove pipe 6, and fire hazard is cut down accordingly.

When the stove pipe 6 is removed, the opening II in the face plate I may be closed by a cap l6 having inwardly extended fingers II. The fingers II are spaced apart by a distance approximately equal to the width of the opening II in the face plate I and less than the length of the opening in the face plate, whereby the fingers can be inserted through the opening II of the face plate and then be engaged behind the face plate when the cap I6 is rotated. During this operation, the slide M can move back a little, as in Fig. 5, because the guides I2 of the face plate I have'some spring in them. The guides [2 press the slide l4 against the fingers I! of the cap I6 and keep the cap from slipping in a direction parallel to the face plate I.

I claim:

In a device of the class described, a face plate having an opening and provided with resilient guides, a slide mounted movably behind the face plate and in front of the guides, the slide covering the opening in the face plate and having an opening shaped to receive a stove pipe, the opening in the face plate being larger than the opening in the slide, the opening in the face plate being longer than it is wide, and a cap of a size to cover the opening in the face plate, the cap having fingers, the fingers being spaced apart by a distance approximately equal to the width of the opening in the face plate and less than the length of the opening in the face plate, whereby the fingers can be inserted through the opening in the face plate and then be engaged between the face plate and the slide when the cap is rotated, the resilient guides pressing the slide against the fingers, to keep the cap from slipping in a direction parallel to the face plate.

ROBERT LEE LOVEN. 

